Powder Compass

Atlas · Utah · UT

Snowbasin

9,350′ summit · 2,900′ vert · 3,000 acres · avg 300″/yr

Solid odds — Jan 1–15

Delivered 24″+ in 7 of the last 10 seasons

Over 20 winters: 10 of 20 · typical 24", most land 14"–48"

Before you book

This bet missed 3 of the last 10.

None of the last 10 came in under 8″ — a bust, under a third of the bet.

Odds count natural snowfall only. At snowmaking-dependent resorts, early-season cover can be fine in a low-natural-snow year.

The season, window by window

The bet: 12″ of new snow per week, scaled to each window. Counted from real seasons — how our odds work.

Snowbasin · the shape of a typical winter

Typical new snow, window by window

The middle season — median new snow per window, counted from the last 20 winters. A picture of timing, not a forecast. Snow is streaky; hover any window for the usual range.

0 20 40 60" NovDecJanFebMarApr
Window Bet Delivered Verdict Typical Biggest Leanest
Nov 1–15 24″+ 2 of 10 · 7 busts Long shot 8" 47" 2022 0" 2025 · 3 of 20
Nov 16–30 24″+ 4 of 10 · 2 busts Coin flip 15" 53" 2010 1" 2012
Dec 1–15 24″+ 5 of 10 · 1 bust Coin flip 22" 64" 2023 4" 2011
Dec 16–31 30″+ 5 of 10 · 1 bust Coin flip 37" 92" 2021 4" 2011
Jan 1–15 24″+ 7 of 10 Solid odds 24" 112" 2023 3" 2012
Jan 16–31 30″+ 4 of 10 · 3 busts Coin flip 27" 59" 2012 2" 2026
Feb 1–15 24″+ 6 of 10 · 1 bust Solid odds 16" 70" 2019 1" 2022
Feb 16–28/29 24″+ 7 of 10 Solid odds 23" 63" 2024 9" 2014 · 2 of 20
Mar 1–15 24″+ 6 of 10 Solid odds 21" 62" 2023 8" 2021
Mar 16–31 30″+ 6 of 10 · 2 busts Solid odds 26" 92" 2023 0" 2026
Apr 1–15 24″+ 3 of 10 Long shot 20" 48" 2011 2" 2007
Apr 16–30 24″+ 2 of 10 · 2 busts Long shot 11" 49" 2017 2" 2024

Biggest and leanest are the two ends of the same 20 winters Typical is counted from — the year is when it happened, most recent first where more than one season ties.

At the snow sensor

Reading the snow sensor…

Field notes

Olympic-downhill vert with country-club infrastructure — long fall lines off Allen Peak, Strawberry's cruisers, and the No-Name and Sisters chutes that stay untracked because the crowd is thin. Underrated by everyone who hasn't been.

Basing in Ogden is the budget-Utah cheat code — cheap lodging, no canyon traffic, about a half hour up the road. The day-lodge bathrooms are a running national joke of luxury.

Watch this window

We'll email you when Snowbasin's odds move on the Jan 1–15 window — and the quote gets recorded as it stands today, so we can be graded on it later.

Planning a whole season? See the season outlook.

These are historical odds from the last 20 winters — not a forecast. Inside 16 days of a trip, a forecast is the better instrument; beyond that, counting real seasons is the honest play. Every number on this page is quoted under methodology v1.2.0, the same math we grade ourselves against in public.